The Poisoner's Handbook
Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · January 25, 2011
Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie." —The New York Observer “The Poisoner’s Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties.” —Financial Times “Reads like science fiction, complete with suspense, mystery and foolhardy guys in lab coats tipping test tubes of mysterious chemicals into their own mouths.” —NPR: What We're Reading A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era.
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- Who it’s for
- Forensic chemistry meets Jazz Age crime in a brisk account of science reshaping justice.
- Themes
- Forensic science, Poison and murder, Corruption and justice
- Pacing
- Fast
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie." —The New York Observer “The Poisoner’s Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties.” —Financial Times “Reads like science fiction, complete with suspense, mystery and foolhardy guys in lab coats tipping test tubes of mysterious chemicals into their own mouths.” —NPR: What We're Reading A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era.
Continue reading
In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.
Chemistry Meets Crime
Forensic chemistry meets Jazz Age crime in a brisk account of science reshaping justice.
Come here for
- A satisfying braid of toxicology, detection, and early twentieth-century history.
- The uneasy tension between poison and proof.
Expect
- Scientific detective work at the heart of crime and justice.
- A vivid look at corruption in early twentieth-century New York.
Where it sits
| Historical True Crime | 59% |
|---|---|
| Forensics | 47% |
| Toxicology | 47% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Middle Atlantic History
- Forensic Medicine
- Toxicology
- Authors
- Deborah Blum
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- January 25, 2011
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Forensic science · Poison and murder · Corruption and justice
- Reading lane
- Middle Atlantic History